April 3 to May 10, 2025
La Guilde presents artist Pat Kane's solo exhibition, Here Is Where We Shall Stay. Shot in the Sǫ̀mbak'è (Yellowknife) region of the Northwest Territories, the photographs featured in the exhibition evoke notions of Indigenous territories and identity still marked by the colonialist effects of the past. Pat Kane uses his lens to capture skillful acts of resistance and self-determination in works that are both sensitive and powerful. The exhibition is an invitation to reflect, recollect, and feel.
For generations, Indigenous people in Canada have lived under the laws and values of European settlers through forced assimilation. The introduction of residential schools, formed by the federal government and instituted by the Catholic and Anglican Church, pulled Indigenous children away from their lands, families, languages, and identities. The goal was to bring “civilization to the savage people who could never civilize themselves” (Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, Final Report, 2015).
This project focuses on how Indigenous people in my region are moving towards meaningful self- determination by resetting the past. The act of reclaiming culture and identity is ongoing, and my friends here are resilient in a place where symbols and systems of colonization loom large. In Catholicism, we are Children of God, but in the Dene worldview, we are One with the Land. There is a tragic and complex tension between the way of the church and the way of the ancestors. While it may be impossible to break free of the colonizers, the subtle, defiant, and beautiful acts of resistance give strength to say “We are still here; here is where we shall stay”.
The title of this project is from the final story of The Book of Dene, a collection of parables from various Indigenous groups in Northern Canada. In the legend titled, “The Two Brothers”, two young siblings sneak away in a canoe and become lost. They travel west, south, and east, visiting many different lands but suffering tremendous hardships. Some of the people they meet ridicule and take advantage of them. After many years, they make their way to the North and are welcomed, fed, and clothed by the people there. One brother says to the other, “Here is where we shall stay”. An elderly couple asks who they are and the brothers tell their incredible story. It is revealed that these are the boy’s parents, and they are finally reunited as a family in their homeland.
Pat Kane
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Pat is a visual storyteller based in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, on the traditional land of the Yellowknives Dene First Nation. He takes a documentary approach to stories about life in Northern Canada, with a special focus on issues important to Indigenous people, including the relationship between land and identity. Pat is a National Geographic Explorer, a 2020 World Press Photo Joop Swart Masterclass mentee, and the recipient of the 2024 Dr. Jane Goodall Vital Impacts Environmental Photography grant. His work has been exhibited in galleries and at festivals internationally, and published by National Geographic, The New York Times, World Press Photo, The Atlantic, The Globe and Mail, The Walrus and other publications worldwide. Pat is of Irish-Canadian and Algonquin Anishinaabe ancestry, and is a member of the Timiskaming First Nation. He’s part of the photo collectives Indigenous Photograph and Boreal Collective.